Annual Reproductive Patterns of Female House Shrew, Suncus murinus, in Taiwan(Reproductive Biology)

概要

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Reproductive patterns of female house shrew (Suncus murinus) inhabiting central Taiwan were studied from September 1990 to February 1992 with animals collected monthly. The annual average body weight was 37.4 g for adults (N=198), and 23.2 g for juveniles (N=18), respectively. The reproductive females (pregnant and lactating) were found all the year round with higher percentages (more than 80%) in spring-summer. The average litter size was 2.9 (range : 1-6). The levels of plasma estradiol-17 β in adult females were higher in March-June (140 pg/ml), and decreased gradually to 98 pg/ml in January-February. Plasma levels of estradiol-17 β in pregnant and lactating females were significantly greater than those of non-pregnant adults and of juveniles. Ovarian weights, plasma levels of estradiol-17 β, and pregnancy rate were correlated with day length. The pre-implantation mortality and post-implantation mortality of the embryos were 6.9% and 1.6%, respectively. The present study has demonstrated that the female S. murinus inhabiting central Taiwan breeds all year round with higher reproductive activity in spring and summer.
社団法人日本動物学会の論文
1999-10-15